Impressionable
by Deadly In Pink
Summary: If the world never wanted men like Roger, Shanks, and Luffy around, it should have been more careful with how it raised them. Chapter Three: His brother dreams of a freedom that Luffy doesn't quite understand. But it doesn't matter. He knows he wants it, too.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One: Everything**

* * *

"Don't just stare at it, brat! Open it."

The young boy looked at the poorly wrapped box with a questionable look before bringing skeptical eyes up to meet the old man's.

"What it is?"

"It's the point of the thing not to know! Haven't you ever got a gift before?"

"No."

The old man sighed, shaking his head. He clumsily took a seat on the long grass and motioned for the boy to follow suit. The nine year old frowned but complied, keeping a reasonable distance from the man who sat across from him.

The raven-haired boy held the wrapped box in his hands. It was light and sealed with decorative paper. He had no idea what the hell he was supposed to do with something like this, and if he wasn't supposed to know what's inside, what was the point of opening it?

"Listen kid," the old man sighed, "I know you've never had anyone to look out for you, so hearing you had a grandpappy out at sea all this time must've pissed you off something good."

"My name's not kid! It's Roger," The boy protested, letting the present fall into his lap in favor of crossing his arms, "and I can take care of myself."

"Don't interrupt!" The old man growled, raising a powerful fist over the boy's head and bringing it down.

"Itaiiiii!" the boy hissed, clutching his injured cranium. His eyes were watering as he felt the bump began to grow.

His grandfather ignored the pained display and continued where he'd left off.

"Hell, imagine my surprise when I finally retire and come back home, only to find some brat with _my_ name, living in _my_ house, causing trouble all over of the place!"

Roger bit his lip to stifle a cry as he continued to hold his head. He glared at the old man in front of him, but the look held no real heat. For as much as the old man had pissed him off in these last three weeks, at least someone had been around to do that much.

Even being annoyed was much better than being ignored.

"It's not like I had a choice or anything." Roger mumbled. He'd been in that house as long as he could remember. And he'd basically lived alone even longer than that.

The old man's eyes softened at that, and he sighed, running a hand through his salt and pepper hair.

"Well, it won't be like that anymore. Retired or not, I'm still a marine, and like hell I'll have my only grandson running around creating all sorts of problems. Now open the damn box before I open it over that thick skull of yours!"

The boy quickened at the threat, not wanting to add to his head's already impressive collection of lumps, bumps, and bruises. He grabbed the box with both hands and pounded it against the ground.

"No, you idiot! Peel off the paper." The old man said, reaching forward and peeling a corner piece up from the box.

Roger grinned, now understanding that the point of the stupid paper was to rip it into small shreds. He went about it excitedly until a naked box sat in his lap.

The box had a closed flap that Roger easily lifted. He looked inside, his expression clearly one of confusion.

He pulled out a brand new hat, in much better condition than the old ones he'd found to use for fishing. It was light and sturdy, made from straw and accented with a bright red ribbon. He frowned.

"This thing sure is ugly."

He cried out as another fist met the top of his head, causing his bump to double.

"Is that all you have to say, you ungrateful brat!?"

"A...ri…ga..to" the boy choked out, clutching his head in pain as tears rolled freely down his cheeks.

"You're welcome! You'll need something to keep the sun out of your eyes, if you're to learn your way around a ship."

"My way around a ship?" Roger asked eagerly, his eyes growing with excitement.

"Aa, that's right. Any self respecting marine prospect better know the basics."

The old man picked the hat up from the ground and placed it on his grandson's head. He laughed as he looked it over.

"Hah! And that vendor said it'd be too big!"

"It will be, once these go down!" Roger exclaimed, pointing to the bumps that were now hidden under straw.

"Nahaha! I'm sure I'll give you plenty more to keep that hat on your head, if you're as dumb as you seem! I have no patience for dumb idiots like you! Nahaha!"

Roger got to his feet and pulled at the sides of his new hat in aggravation.

"Just you wait! I'll learn more about sailing than you! And then I'll leave this stupid island and become King of the Sea!"

The old man's laughter died as he regarded his young grandson.

"King of the Sea, eh?"

"That's right!"

"Tch," his grandfather scoffed, also standing up. He looked down, sending the boy a challenging look. "The marines have no need for kings."

"I don't want to be a marine!" Roger countered, a determined look in his eyes.

"Oh? Then tell me, what kind of man becomes King of the Sea?"

Roger opened his mouth to answer, but then shut it again. He wore a thoughtful expression for a while, until it faded away. The boy shrugged, "I don't know. I'll just find out when I get there."

His grandfather chuckled, placing a soft hand atop the hat before walking back towards the village.

"I have a feeling that straw hat is the closest you'll get to a golden crown," the retired marine called back to the boy, amusement ringing in his voice, "but, what the hell does an old man like me know?"

Roger watched his grandfather until he was out of sight. Then, he walked down to the rocks that stretched out into the sea. He took a seat on his favorite one, the one that was the farthest from shore, and pulled the hat from his head.

His eyes looked over it carefully, his fingers tracing the woven pieces of dried plant stem, wondering how someone put together such a sturdy thing from such a strange material.

The red ribbon darkened in spots as the ocean splashed against the rocks and sprayed onto him. The sea mixed with the warm tears and felt good against his face.

He grasped the hat tighter in his hands and pulled it to his chest, hugging it there, protecting it from the wind and the water and holding it close to his heart.

It was his. It was given to him in a nice box, brand new and never worn. It was given to him by _family_.

He brought it back up to his head and held it there. His other arm wiped across his face, erasing the salty trails.

The boy stood on sturdy legs and looked out at the ocean. The wind was strong, pushing and pulling at the hat on his head. His hand held it in place.

Right now, this hat was the only thing he owned, and he'd treasure it.

But he wanted it all. Everything that stretched out around the small island he grew up on.

The boy who lived with nothing stared out at the ocean and dreamed of everything.

* * *

**AN: I drew a few parallels between Roger and Luffy's lives, and I'm writing Roger with some of Ace's personality traits as well. It just feels right to me, but let me know what you think. It's hard writing a character I haven't seen much of, especially when the OP kids are pretty different from their adult selves. Roger will be going through some development as well down the line.**

**I've been wanting to do something like this for a while, but I wasn't sure just how to approach it. I think I finally figured out how I want to go about this.**

**The chapters will rotate primarily between Roger, Shanks, and Luffy (mostly focusing on their childhoods) with other characters getting their own chapter here and there. The Roger, Shanks, and Luffy chapters will be ****sequential. For example, the next Roger chapter will be set after this one, and will build off of this chapter.**

**I like experimenting with stuff like this, so I guess I'll just see how it turns out! Love the idea, hate it? Let me know, I haven't tried anything like this before.**

**-Deadly 9/14/13**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Rough Seas**

* * *

"Wow! Is all of this really for me?" The red haired boy asked, his jaw dropping at the delicious dessert before him. He leaned forward on his stool, eyes glued to the small chocolate cake.

"Mmm, that's right" his mother smiled. She rested her chin in her hands as she watched the excited boy quickly dig in, laughing as the eight year old devoured the cake in large bites.

"Slow down or you'll be sick!" She finally warned in a hushed voice. "Don't worry so much, Shanks. Everyone else is busy."

Shanks slowed down, but he couldn't help his eyes from darting over to the galley door every few moments. It made him nervous, the way his mother took risks like this, but she always did after a hard day. He gulped down the last giant bite of cake before smiling up.

"That was delicious! Thanks!"

The smile was back on his mother's face, the one that made living on a ship like this bearable.

"It's our little secret, right?" she asked playfully, raising a finger to her lips.

"Right!"

"Alright then, off to bed! I need to prepare a few things for breakfast tomorrow, but I won't be long. Come back here, if they're around."

Shanks frowned but nodded, feeling the apprehension grow inside of him as he made his way towards the galley door. He looked back at his mother, who was pulling her long, strawberry hair back into a hair tie. She nodded forward, sending him an encouraging smile. _Be brave_.

The boy shuffled out of the galley and onto the cold deck of The Mad Devil. Walking the ship during the day was bad, but crossing it at night was much worse. At least most of his crew mates were sober during the day.

Shanks wrapped his arms around himself as the laughter and curses of drunken men rang out from behind closed doors. Lanterns were hung from the upper rails, casting shadows that danced across the deck as the ship bobbed.

He watched every shadow with wary eyes. Shanks didn't have too much farther before he reached the small cabin that he shared with his mother. He was so close, but not surprised when he didn't make it there unnoticed.

The smell of booze and tobacco wafted up from below deck when a door opened ahead of him. The boy tensed up as he stopped in his tracks, waiting to see who'd emerge. Most of the crew would tease him and then be on their way. Some of them liked him to stick around for a while.

A small group stumbled onto the deck. They were a group that Shanks knew all too well.

"Oh! The brat's still up!" The fattest of the four exclaimed. The man held a bottle of sake in one hand, and a second bottle in the other. He swayed on his feet and his grin was unnaturally large.

"Tagagaga!" The tallest pirate laughed, taking clumsy steps towards the child, "We was just lookin' for another drinkin' buddy!"

"Eh? Him? How much do you think someone his size can handle?" The shortest asked, coming up besides Shanks before he could back away. He threw a heavy arm over the kid's shoulder and pushed him forward.

"St-stop! I don't want to."

Shanks dug his feet into the deck, glaring up at the pirates. He'd seen them do the same thing to his mother once before, leaving her with no choice but to drink with them against her will. Entertain them. Serve them their sake with a fake smile and empty laughter. He hated them for it.

"C'mon, loosen up a little! You need to have more fun, cabin boy!"

"I'm not doing anything with bastards like you!" The red haired boy shouted, grinding his teeth.

The pirates roared in laughter, hanging on each other in their drunken stupor.

The young pirate took that as an opportunity to escape. He turned to make a run for it, only to collide straight into the leg of the group's fifth and largest member.

"Oh! Cabin boy!" the man said in mock surprise, "I was just about to see if Cook-chan would care to join us! Go get her for me, will ya?"

The pirates didn't notice the way that the boy froze at those words.

His red bangs fell over his face, shadowing his dark eyes. Shanks' fists clenched tighter and tighter by his sides as the men began their cat calls toward the galley.

"Hoooi! Cook-chan! We're getting lonely out here by ourselves!"

"Offer us something sweet, Cookie-chan!"

His mother always told him to ignore it. Walk away and let them say what they want.

_Just ignore it_.

The men continued to laugh, to jeer. Their words became louder, more disgusting. The boy started shaking, his rage building until it blinded him: until he didn't care anymore

"DON'T TALK ABOUT HER THAT WAY!"

The small fist pounded into the largest man's gut, causing him to stumble back.

The laughter stopped.

The deck was still and quiet.

Shanks was breathing heavily as he watched his large crew mate approach. Somewhere in the background was the sound of running feet on the wood deck.

The very last thing Shanks heard before the pirate gave him what he had coming was the call of his mother's voice.

* * *

Shanks sat on The Mad Devil's figurehead, the likeness of a long-necked sea king that stretched forward and up. It was the only place he was never followed. The figurehead was narrow and steep, and even though climbing to the sea king's head was dangerous, his mother had never had the heart to forbid it.

Shanks brought a hand up to his face and winced. The left side was still bruised and swollen, his left eye closed and unusable. His mother had made sure he had plenty of frozen meat on it the night he'd been knocked out, but it couldn't fix the damage done.

The pirate boy stared at the sea that sparkled and moved in never-ending motion. There was nothing but the ocean and the ship. It made him feel hopeful and trapped and happy and angry all at the same time. It was large and powerful and he was just a tiny thing allowed to breath above it until it pulled him under.

The ship was the same way. He was surrounded by enemies with nowhere to run, and no strength to fight.

The truth terrified him. He was weak and afraid and stuck serving under a tyrant of a captain, but he wouldn't always be; not forever.

He had something new to think about now: a new resolve to hold onto. A promise that he'd keep no matter what because it was one that he made to _her_.

And even though he had whispered it so weakly, her eyes had softened through the tears, and her lips had turned up into a small smile. She believed him, and that was enough.

* * *

"_We'll both get off of this ship one day. I promise we will!"_

* * *

**AN: Shanks was haaard. Really because I could have done anything I wanted with him. I liked this idea better than having him running around homeless somewhere. I see Shanks as someone who treasures freedom and family as much as Luffy does, so I wanted to make those things important to him right away. He doesn't have his relaxed personality yet, but I want that to come in time. I'll add more thoughts about this in this author's note tomorrow. Sleep now :D**

**Luffy's up next! Thanks for reading!**

**-Deadly 9/17/13**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: True Freedom**

* * *

The boy ignored the footsteps. They crunched loudly in the autumn leaves, and only stopped when they reached the child's back. The boy crossed his arms, wincing at the sharp pain that stabbed his side when he moved the right one. His frown was set and his eyes narrow as he stared ahead at the black waves, each overcoming the next in their struggle to beat against the cliff's face below.

The seven year old looked over when an older boy sat beside him, his frown deepening at the sight of blond hair. Not Ace, he realized. He wanted it to be Ace coming to apologize, coming to thank him. He wanted Ace to come and say _something_ so Luffy could do some yelling of his own.

"Where's Ace?" Luffy asked, glaring out at the sea.

Sabo made a fist and lightly punched his younger brother in the arm.

"Stop that. You know why he's mad."

"But that guy was going to hurt Ace. I saved him!" The dark-haired boy argued.

"I know."

The response was softer than Sabo's usual tone. When Luffy looked up, he followed his brother's gaze to the bandages wrapped tightly around his middle and up his chest. Some blood had seeped through. He hadn't gone back to have it rewrapped.

Sabo reached into his pocket and pulled out a spool of cloth.

"I had a feeling you'd need this." He sighed, reaching to untie the soiled bandages. "You're a lot of trouble, you know that?"

Luffy pulled away.

"No. Not until you tell me why Ace is mad."

"Luffy…"

The boy's determined glare didn't falter, and all Sabo could do was shake his head.

"Fine, I'll tell you. Now sit still."

Luffy looked on expectantly, and didn't protest when Sabo started unwrapping the bandages.

"Ace is mad because you interfered with his fight. It's better for him to get hurt fighting than have someone like you save him."

The anger in the younger boy's eyes was quickly replaced with confusion as he tried to make sense of those words.

"Why? I don't understand… I can fight, too!"

"I know that, but Luffy! Ace and I…we…" Sabo paused. He looked away uncomfortably, and rubbed the back of his head. Luffy didn't notice, his eyes were glued onto his brother, waiting for him to finish.

"-we don't want you getting hurt for our sake. We're older, so we're supposed to make sure you're okay. We're the ones that want to protect _you_, so don't make it the other way around, alright?"

The raven haired boy didn't say anything else while Sabo finished pulling loose the old bandages. When the cloth pulled away from the deep slash and the air hit the wound, Luffy didn't complain the way he usually would.

Sabo looked the cut over carefully before picking up the spool of cloth. Before he could bring it up to Luffy's middle, the boy was standing, his large hat casting his face in shadows.

"That…that's not fair…" he whispered, his hands closing into fists at his sides, "that's… way too selfish! It's not fair…"

"I know."

Luffy lifted his head, revealing watery eyes filled with frustration. They met Sabo's and Luffy saw it even if he didn't understand it. Sabo was afraid. But… what could Sabo be afraid of? Luffy wondered. His brothers were the bravest people he knew.

When Sabo spoke, his voice was serious and his expression told Luffy that the older was regarding him as an equal, for once. The boy decided to listen carefully to every word.

"Ace needs you. If you die, he'll definitely become the monster everyone thinks he is. Don't do something stupid like die for one of us. That's the one thing I could never forgive you for! So… just let us-"

"Sabo!"

The blond never got to finish as Luffy slammed into him with a cry. The younger boy latched onto his brother's waist, burring his head into the blue jacket.

"You say that… but…but…" the words were choked sobs. Sabo looked down with wide eyes, not quite sure what to do to comfort the younger one. Usually, when Luffy cried, they were crocodile tears. And even when they weren't, the boy usually cried on his own until Ace told him to shut up.

Sabo settled for patting his brother's messy dark hair, albeit a bit awkwardly. His effort was enough, he realized, when the grip around his middle began to loosen.

When Luffy calmed down, Sabo pushed him gently to the ground and wrapped the wound with fresh bandages.

The two sat in silence for a while. By the time Luffy spoke again, his tears had dried away completely.

"Sabo…?"

"Mm?"

"I want to protect stuff, too."

The blond grinned, "You will, when we're pirates. We'll go anywhere we want and we'll be strong enough to protect anything. Because we'll be free."

"Free?" Luffy asked, cocking his head to the side. Weren't they already free? He wondered.

"That's right." Sabo nodded, "Pirates are the freest people in the world!"

Luffy smiled as he watched Sabo stare out at the night's sea. The older boy had a dreamy look in his eyes, something Luffy hadn't seen from his brother before. It made him want to dream, too.

"If pirates are the freest people in the world, then the Pirate King has the most freedom of all!" He exclaimed excitedly, his smile growing even wider when Sabo matched it with his own.

"Yeah, I guess he does."

Luffy stood up and walked as close to the edge of the cliff as he could, making Sabo rise nervously behind him. The raven-haired boy was giggling as he looked out ahead of him, a gleam in his eyes that wasn't there before.

"Sabo, I want to be the freest man in the world! So, I'll definitely become the Pirate King!"

Sabo laughed and leaned an elbow against the smaller boy's shoulder. They looked out over the confined sea, its fists still batting against the rocky walls that stood in its way.

Sabo glanced up at the endless sky, the stars peaking through like islands scattered in a boundless black sea.

"I know."

* * *

**AN:**

**Thank you for your reviews, favs, and follows! I still need to respond to some reviews from last chapter (sorry!), but I really do appreciate the feedback! Roger is up next! The next set of chapters should make the style of this story a little more clear. Luffy's timeline isn't going to change. I think there's plenty to work with already, especially when it comes to how his view of the world formed throughout his childhood. **

**I have to admit that this chapter was sort of a two birds with one stone kind of thing for me. After writing Cliff's Edge, I really wanted to do something similar with Luffy and Sabo. It worked out, since I wanted Luffy to really connect with Sabo's dream before... well, you know what's coming.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-Deadly 10/7/13**


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